Smoke pours from the roof of a downtown building Wednesday morning, April 6.

Photo by Mark Esper

Two adjoining 110-year-old buildings in downtown Silverton were gutted Wednesday morning, April 6, in the worst fire the town has seen since the 1992 blaze at Town Hall.

No injuries were reported, but the Pride of the West Bar and Grill and Adelaide’s Antiques store were devastated. Three upstairs apartments were also destroyed, but were unoccupied.

Fire departments from Durango and Ouray helped the Silverton San Juan Volunteer Fire Department fight the blaze, which also damaged the adjoining Silverton Brewery and caused minor smoke damage to other nearby buildings.

Sorry about that fire . Here in Vinton the fire department is on back burner until times like this. A ladder is essential in all places where buildings are 3 stories or more...like Silverton. Ladder trucks are "white elephants" until they are needed then nothing else will do. Set up a fud for a ladder and I will contribute to it.

Grants should be explored too. A local VFD here in irginia got a new ladder because a local state supported College built 2 hig rises as dormatories.